The Southern Crested Newt (Triturus karelinii) is a terrestrial European newt

Newt

A newt is an aquatic amphibian of the family Salamandridae, although not all aquatic salamanders are considered newts. Newts are classified in the subfamily Pleurodelinae of the family Salamandridae, and are found in North America, Europe and Asia...

. It is similar to the Great Crested Newt

Great Crested Newt

The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...

 (Triturus cristatus) except larger and more robust.

Physical Characteristics

Southern Crested Newts are brown to gray dorsaly, with darker patches scattered about. Their bellys and throats are orange, with small black dots. They get up to 7.1 inches, or 18 centimeters. Males have a large jagged crest going from behind the neck down to their tails.

Range

Southern Crested Newts live from Serbia

Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...

 east to the Caspian Sea

Caspian Sea

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...

, and south to central Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

.

Habitat

The Southern Crested Newt lives in a variety of mountain habitats, including both broadleaf and coniferous forests, slopes and plateaus.

Life cycle

With Southern Crested Newts sexual maturity is reached at 3 or 4 years. During the breeding season they are found in most sources of water such as swamps, lakes, stagnant ponds, ditches and temporary pools, and streams. Males usually live to about 8, and females to 11 years old.